Wafer Manufacturing

3Process Modeling and Manufacturing Processes

3.1 Introduction

This chapter focuses on the process modeling of wafer manufacturing. Wafer manufacturing processes as presented in Chapter 2 involve brittle crystal materials. This chapter will be built upon the subjects of forming in Section 2.4 and polishing in Section 2.5, to introduce the modeling of manufacturing processes of brittle semiconductor materials. The characteristics of brittle materials, such as semiconductors, are different from those of ductile materials, such as metals, which further differentiates process modeling. Different wafer manufacturing processes also incur specific levels of interaction between the tools and materials. In addition, most wafer manufacturing processes are abrasive‐based, which can be broken into either (i) a bonded abrasive manufacturing process (BAM), or (ii) a free abrasive manufacturing process (FAM). Each process will be discussed in more detail, with comparison, in this chapter. The rolling‐indenting and scratching‐indenting processes for brittle materials will be introduced along with other related issues in wafer manufacturing processes, such as recovering and recycling abrasives in the wiresawing process.

3.2 Wafer Manufacturing and Brittle Materials

Semiconductor materials are brittle materials, which include silicon, silicon carbide, III–V compounds, II–VI compounds, and other optoelectronic materials. The wafer forming and polishing processes of semiconductors employ various ...